cactus weed root tea for fever and chills and colic. De best remedy for
chills and fever am to git rabbit foot tie on string 'round de neck.

"Massa, he carry me to war with him, 'cause I's de good cook. In dat New
Orleans battle he wounded and guns roarin' everywhere. Dey brung massa
in and I's jus' as white as he am den. Dem Yankees done shoot de roof
off de house. I nuss de sick and wounded clean through de war and seed
dem dyin' on every side of me.

"I's most scared to death when de war end. Us still in New Orleans and
all de shoutin' dat took place 'cause us free! Dey crowds on de streets
and was in a stir jus' as thick as flies on de dog. Massa say I's free
as him, but iffen I wants to cook for him and missy I gits $2.50 de
month, so I cooks for him till I marries Armstead Barrett, and then us
farm for de livin'. Us have big church weddin' and I has white loyal
dress and black brogan shoes. Us been married 51 years now.

420150

JOHN BATES, 84, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, a slave of Mock
Bateman. When still very young, John moved with his mother, a slave
of Harry Hogan, to Limestone Co., Texas. John now lives in
Corsicana, supported by his children and an old age pension.

"My pappy was Ike Bateman, 'cause his massa's name am Mock Bateman, and
mammy's name was Francis. They come from Tennessee and I had four
brothers and six sisters. We jes' left de last part of de name off and
call it Bates and dat's how I got my name. Mammy 'longed to Massa Harry
Hogan and while I's small us move to Texas, to Limestone County, and I
don't 'member much 'bout pappy, 'cause I ain't never seed him since.

"Massa Hogan was a purty good sort of fellow, but us went hongry de fust
winter in Texas. He lived in de big log house with de hallway clean
through and a gallery clean 'cross de front. De chimney was big 'nough
to burn logs in and it sho' throwed out de heat. It was a good, big
place and young massa come out early and holler for us to git up and be
in de field.

"Missy Hogan was de good woman and try her dead level best to teach me
to read and write, but my head jes' too thick, I jes' couldn't larn. My
Uncle Ben he could read de Bible and he allus tell us some day us be
free and Massa Harry laugh, haw, haw, haw, and he say, 'Hell, no, yous
never be free, yous ain't got sense 'nough to make de livin' if yous was
free.' Den he takes de Bible 'way from Uncle Ben and say it put de bad
idea